Lock nut



Ow. w, w26. 1,603,618'

B. S. MCCLELLAN LOCK NUT Filed August 29, 1922 Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,603,618 PATENT OFFICE. i

BENJAMIN S. MCCLELLAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GRIP NUTCOMPANY, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOCK NUT.

Appiicationiiiea mgm ze, 1922. serial No. 585,031.

This invention relates to locli nuts. One object of my invention is to.deflect a portion of a number of the threads of the nut into the boreand longitudinally thereof and to increase the frictional resistance toy turning the nut od a bolt and thus lock it on, by providing thedeflected thread portions with abrupt ends inclined to resistthe reverseturn and exert a sort of cam action at that time.

Another object of my invention is` to so incline these abrupt ends anddeflect the threads that no material resistance is offered to turningthe nut on a bolt.

A further object of my invention is to accomplish this deflection andabrupt ends by punching a singley notch into the nut body adjacent itsbore and displacing by bending inward and downward a portion of the nutbody between the notch and bore.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described andmore particularly set forth in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings--` Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a locknut made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 isa top plan view ofsaid nut;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig.2; p

Fig. 4 is an enlarged similar sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig.2, with the nut shown started on a bolt; and

Fig. 5 is a similar View with the nut completely turned on the bolt andlocked in accordance with my invention.

To accomplish the objects of my invention, I take a nut .1 of a standardsize with screw threadsV 2 of a uniform diameter and pitch throughoutthe length of the bore 3.

With a punch or other tool 4, as shown in Fig. 4, I cut a single notch 5in the metal body of the nut through its outer face 6', adjacent theAedge of the bore 3 and at one place ,inv the circumference thereof. Thepunch 4 is so made that the notch 5 is sha ed as follows:

he bottom edge 7 is curved in an are of a circle concentric tothat ofthe bore 3, as shown in Fig. 2, and is inclined upward from the deepestpoint at one end of the notch to the shallowest point at the other end,as shown in Fig. 3. The notch at its deepest end has an rupwardlextending straight edge 8 inclined inwar toward the bore 3, as shown inFig. 2.

The inner and'outer walls 9, 1() of said notch diverge upward from saidbottom edge 7 and are thus inclined on opposite sides of said bottomedge, the inner wall 10 being inclined toward said bore 3. These G0walls 9 and 10 are also curved eccentric to the bore 3, as indicated bytheir outer edges 1n the outer face 6 of said nut. The inner wall 1 0curves inward toward the bore 3 and ends 1n the edge 8. The outer wall 9has 65' a greater curvature and terminates with a sharp refentrant curveextending toward the bore 3 to reach the edge 8.

The notch 5 so made is. somewhat wedge shaped and has its widest Iendnearest the bore 3. In punchin the notch adjacent the bore 3, the metalof t e nut body between the notch and the bore is displaced and forcedinto the bore and also downward toward the lower end thereof. Thisdellects the upper 7.5 threads 11, 11 into the bore and downward. Byhaving the widest andV deepest end of the notch directed inward, thedeflected thread portions terminated in abrupt ends 12, 12 alignedlengthwise of the bore and 80 inclined 4in the direction trailing thenut p on the bolt 13, the latter being shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

he approximate amount of inward deflection is'indicated in Fig. 4 by thedotted 95" lines a, b, the former being parallel with the threads beforedeflection andthe latter after.v The deflected thread portions 11 asthey approach the abrupt ends 12, 12 have a gradual inward and downwarddeflection, as shown. This is due to the notch 5 having its shallowest'end farthest away from the bore 3 and gradually widening toward thebore. The abrupt ends 12, 12V constitute in y effect shoulders to resistany reverseturn of the nut and bolt relative to each other.

The nut 1 takes easily on the bolt 13 because `the threads 2 at theentrance of the bore 3 remain undisturbed and have the same diameter andpitch as the undeflected 10" .portions of said deflected threads 11,11.

The nut 1 is guided on the bolt 13 like an .ordinary nut. No lockingtakes place while the nut is turned on the bolt 13 because the deflectedthread portions 11, 11 tend to 105 straighten out and offer no materialresistance to the forward turning of the nut. This is due to theshoulders or ends 12 being inclined in the direction of this turn.Turning the nut 1 backward, however, causes the 110 The deflectedthreads shoulders 12 and deected portions 11, 11 to immediately have came'ect and lock the nut on the bolt by crowding the metal of the saidportions 11 into the spaces between the engaged ybolt threads. Thisfrictonal resistance is increased as the leverage `on the nut to back itoff the bolt is cause the abrupt shoulders 12 and deflected portions 11increase in their cam action. of the nut bring all of the threadsurfaces of the nut and bolt in the plane ofisaid deflected threads intotight contactall around except in that portion immediately following theabrupt ends 15 or shoulders 12 of s'aid deflected threads.

This provides cavities or spaces between the thread surface and allowsthe metal burs on these surfaces tol interlock and pack and give a dieaction to resist the turning of the 2t)v nut off the bolt.

A nut made in accordance with my invention does not lock itself on 'thebolt while being turned on the bolt but is always ready to lock as soonas it is given the reverse or backward turn, thus allowing the nut toadapted for use lock at any point on the bolt. This locking increases asthe tendency to back the nut off increases and thus provides a sure andositive'lock. The nut therefore is' particu arly where excessive andgreat vibration is had as on railroad cars and equipment of that generalnature.

'le I have shown and described herein in detail a lock nut of myinvention, it is of course understood that the details of constructionmay be variously changed and modified without departing from the spiritand scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lock nut having screw threads in its bore, a portion of a number ofsaid threads atv one place in the circumference of the bore beingdeflected into the bore and longitudinally thereof, said deectedportions merging into the remaining portions of said threads graduallyat one end and abruptly at the other end, the balance of the threadspitch as the undeilected portions of said delected threads.

2. A lock nut having screw threads in its bore, a portion of a number ofsaid threads at one place in the circumference of the bore beingdeflected into the bore and longiv tudinally thereof, said deflectedportions merging into'the remaining portions of said threads graduallyat one end" and abruptly at the other end, said abrupt ends being insubstantial yalignment lengthwise of the bore and inclined to resistturning the nut olf a bolt, the balance of the threads in the boreremaining the same in diameter and pitch as the undeflected portionsofsaid deflected threads.

f3. A lock nut, comprising a body portion increased be- 1n the borebeing the same in diameter and vmoana having a bore with screw threadstherein, and a wedge shaped notch punched into the metal of said bodyportion through one face of the nut and adjacent the edge of the borefor dellecting into the bore and toward the 'opposite face of the nut aportion of a number of threads at said notch by displacing in thatdirection the metal of the nut body between said notch and bore, saidnotch having vits widest end next to the bore for making the deflectedthread portions at said notch merge abruptly and inclined into theremaining portions of said threads to resist turning thenut olf a bolt.

4. A lock nut, comprising a body portion having a bore with screwthreads therein, and a notch punched into the metal of said body ortionthrough the outer face of the nut adjacent the edge of said bore fordeflecting into the bore and toward the lower face of the nut a portionof a number of the threads at said notch by displacing in' thatdirection the metal of the nut body between the notch and bore, saidnotch having its bottom edge concentric to the bore andv one endrelatively dee and enlarged to form in the deflected threads abrupt endsinclined to resist burning the nut off a bolt.

5. A lock nut, comprising a body portion having a bore with screwthreads therein, and a notch punched into the metal of said body portionthrough the outer face'of the nut adjacent the edge of said bore fordeflecting into the bore and toward the lower face of the nut a portionof a number of the threads at said notch by displacing in that directionthe metal of the nut body between the notch and bore, said notch havingits bottom edge concentric to the bore and one end relatively deep andenlarged to form in the deilected threads abrupt ends inclined to resistturning the nut off a bolt, said notch having its sides divergingoutward from said bottom edge and curved eccentric to said bore and oneto a greater extent than the other to increase Athe deflection of saidthreads toward the abrupt ends therein.

6. The combination of a bolt and a nut, said nut having a portion of anumber of ,its threads at one end of its bore and at one place in thecircumferencethereof:I deflected into the bore and toward the oppositeend thereof, said deflected portions merging into the remaining portionsof said threads gradually at one end and abruptly at the other end, saidabrupt ends 'being in substantial alignment lengthwise of said bore andincllned to resist turning said nut-of the bolt by frictional contactwith the threads of the bolt.

7. The combination of `a bolt and a nut, said nut comprising a bodyportion having a threaded bore therein and a notch punched in the outerface to form a depression exvtending concentric with the bore and ence'thereof, towar s the opposite end of,

the bore, the depression being tapered longitudinally so that it 'is ofgreater Width at one end than at the other, so that the deiected.portion of the threads merge into the remaining portions of saidthreads gradually at one end and abruptly at the other end, said abrupt.ends being in substantial alignment lengthwise' of said bore andinclinedto resist turning said nut oi the bolt by frictional contactwith the threads of the bolt.

4In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I affix' mysignature this 26th day Aof August, A. D. `1922.

BENJAMIN S. MCCLELLAN.

